


This is Everything

by theyismyfamily



Category: All For The Game - Nora Sakavic
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Andrew Minyard Has Feelings, Andrew Minyard Loves Neil Josten, Established Neil Josten/Andrew Minyard, Established Relationship, Fluff, Fluff without Plot, M/M, POV Neil Josten, Soft Andrew Minyard, Soft Neil Josten, Soft Neil Josten/Andrew Minyard, Soulmates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-01
Updated: 2020-12-01
Packaged: 2021-03-10 02:48:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,894
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27827047
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theyismyfamily/pseuds/theyismyfamily
Summary: Andrew and Neil sit and talk and remember soft things.Soulmate AU where you and your soulmates make memories that turn into tattoos.
Relationships: Neil Josten/Andrew Minyard
Comments: 1
Kudos: 128





	This is Everything

**Author's Note:**

  * For [askybuiltbeforeus](https://archiveofourown.org/users/askybuiltbeforeus/gifts).



> okay so shout out to my good friend (german-bitch-fiona on tumblr) who came up w this soulmate idea this is for u ur very cool in which you get tattoos based on memories u make with your soulmate yes like maui from moana and yes this is Super Soft but do i care ?? no! heres fluff and me with no self control <3

Neil smiles as he stares at Andrew, who’s sitting on the floor with Neil, cross legged and facing each other.

“Staring,” Andrew murmurs, not moving his gaze from Neil.

“Yeah.” Neil holds out his hand in between them and Andrew takes it. It’s dark, not much lighting other than the light coming from the window, but Neil can make out the shape of Andrew in front of him. “You are too.”

Andrew doesn’t say anything and Neil smiles, tracing a familiar shape on the inside of Andrew’s wrist. _A house key._ He feels a slight shiver from Andrew, and if it were possible, Neil smiles even wider. He looks down at the inside of Andrew’s wrist and lines up his wrist next to Andrew’s. Neil looks down at the familiar tattooed house keys. Andrew closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. Neil lets his own breath as he remembers the day, so perfectly.

~

_Andrew hooked his fingers in the collar of Neil’s shirt and tugged just enough for Neil to feel it. “I know what I’m doing. I knew what I was agreeing to when I took Kevin’s side. I knew what it would cost us and how far I’d have to go. Understand? You aren’t going anywhere. You’re staying here.”_

_Andrew didn’t let go until Neil nodded, and then he reached for Neil’s hand. He took his cigarette back, put it between his lips, and pressed a warm key into Neil’s empty palm. Neil lifted his hand to look at it. The hardware logo engraved in it meant it was a copy. To what, Neil didn’t know, but it only took him a moment to figure it out._

_It isn’t until later, when Neil’s taking a shower in the bathroom, that he sees the tattoo._

_He’s about to grab the shampoo when he sees the black mark on the inside of his wrist. He immediately jerks his hand back and looks at the mark, tracing the ridges of the key into his arm. His mother’s voice rings angrily in his ears._

“We don’t do soulmates, Abram.”

_Neil stares at the mark with wide eyes before quickly finishing up his shower and changing. Thinking maybe if he pinches himself, he’ll wake up._

_But he knows this isn’t that, he knows that._

“Don’t get attached, Abram.” _Followed by a slap and a warning of what would happen if he kisses another girl._

_So many ‘don’ts’, so fucking many._

_Don’t play Exy, don’t talk to people, don’t be noticed, don’t don’t don’t don’t._

_Neil looks back down at the key on his wrist and takes a deep, shaky breath. He knows he can’t have this, he knows he’s bound to disappear either way._

_He thought ‘maybe I can have this one thing’ with Exy and now the others are going to get caught in the crossfireーSeth just didーand Neil’s going to wind up dead either way._

_But a_ soulmate.

_Neil takes a deep breath. He needs to finish this shower and go for a fucking run._

~

Neil’s eyes flutter close as he takes a deep breath and lets Andrew take his hand.

_Now. Here, in the present._

“I…” Neil opens his eyes again and takes a deep breath, letting himself organize his thoughts. “Andrew Minyard.” Neil smiles as Andrew traces the key on Neil’s inner wrist. “I remember when we had gone out for ice cream. It was 3AM and you wanted ice cream so we drove to the store and and you filled the fucking cart with ice cream and had me sit in it. And then you drove around while grabbing random tubs off the shelf. And you’d hand them to me and I’d set them in the cart and then we were flying around the store.” Neil watches as Andrew head tilts his head slightly to the side in acknowledgement.

It’s late. They’re tired after a long day but Neil can see the smile in the way Andrew scrunches his nose.

Neil smiles and continues. “You are incredible.” Andrew warily looks at Neil. “Your eyes are beautiful.” Andrew looks like he might scoff, but he keeps it in. He knows how much this means to Neil. Neil knows the feeling is mutual, even if Andrew hasn’t admitted it.

_A home a home a home a home._

_Andrew._

“You’re home for me, Drew.”

Andrew doesn’t look up to meet Neil’s eyes, but instead looks at the tattoo starting from the base of Neil’s wrist. It’s the smoke of a cigarette which twirls around his arm and up to his elbow. From the countless nights spent on the roof, from the cigarettes shared and nights spent when their bed didn’t feel like their own. The drinks and kisses and keys and trust. The yes’ and nights of silence and a place to stay. _A home._

That never ceases to amaze Neil.

He looks up at Andrew as Andrew takes a deep breath and traces the lines on Neil’s palm. He finally looks up at Neil before saying two words: “Zero percent.” 

Neil feels like he might cry. He doesn’t, but that undoubtedly feeling of sheer care and want and love is crawling up his throat and he pushes it back down.

“Or a million. And only because you watch John Mulaney with me on bad days.”

Neil chokes out a soft laugh.

It’s usually on opposite sides of the couch, Andrew holding a tub of ice cream and Neil finishing up homework, but they’re calming. Andrew intently staring at the screen as the familiar voice floats throughout the room.

Naturally, Neil doesn’t get half the jokes, or doesn’t care enough to find them funny, but he can see the calm in Andrew’s eyes when they watch, so he doesn’t say anything. Just content Andrew’s relaxing a little bit.

He watches as Andrew’s eyes trail up to his shoulder. Neil knows what he’s looking at. It’s a tattoo of a drink with a moon over it.

“Doesn’t mean I wouldn’t blow you,” Neil says, his voice pitched up two octaves.

“Couple things,” Andrew says, looking to glare at Neil. “First, I don’t sound like that. Second, I can’t believe it took me more courage to talk to Bee about admitting I had _actual feelings_ for you rather than saying I wanted to _blow you_.”

Neil barks out a loose laugh. It feels good to know Andrew can say things like this to him, calm and sturdy. There’s dozens of marks over his chest where there are scars, protecting Neil in a way. Just like Andrew had. Neil hums as he remembers the day that Andrew (and him, he supposes) had asked for them to get married.

~

_The idea had been lingering in the back of his head for about a year, ever since Neil got sent to the hospital after getting hit while on a run. Andrew hadn’t been able to visit the whole time, probably the worst few hours of Neil’s existence. The doctors kept pestering him, asking him questions._

_Neil just wanted to see Andrew._

_And now here he is, a year later, after serious contemplating and sneaking around everyone to find a good time to go to the store and get a fucking ring._

Mary would kill him.

 _Mary would beat the living shit out of him for this, but he’s also never been so proud to have something right there in front of him._ Andrew.

_It isn’t even until after his last Exy game of his final year at PSU that he can finally pull out the ring. Everyone was finally gone, the press was done, the others had headed back to the dorms. The court was theirs at the moment._

_“Hang on,” Neil says, bouncing from foot to foot. Andrew raises an eyebrow in question but doesn’t stop Neil from racing over to the locker room. Neil reaches in the back of his locker and grabs the box, staring at it with a certain gaze before running back out to the court. Andrew’s standing in the middle. He can see the wash of concern disappear over Andrew's face when Neil enters the room, even if it isn’t as obvious to others. Neil runs on over to the middle of the inner court and stands in front of Andrew and awkwardly pulls out the ring from his back pocket._

_He watches hesitantly as Andrew also pulls out a ring. Neil can feel his eyes widen as his lips break out into a smile and he lets out a loud laugh. He looks back at Andrew’s ring and then his eyes flash up to Andrew’s face, familiar in the light of the stadium._

_Andrew’s smiling. It’s small, just a quirk of the lips, but it’s_ there _and it’s_ real _and it’s_ genuine.

_Neil’s not going to lie, it takes him by surprise. It’s only happened a couple times, but now it’s here and raw and beautiful and Neil can’t help but smile wider._

_Andrew isn’t even halfway through “yes or no” when Neil’s mumbling a yes and pulling Andrew in for a kiss._

~

“Yeah,” Neil hums. “Now we’re something though.”

He approaches the words with caution. They’ve been exchanged before, but some days the idea of _something_ is enough to scare the other off. _They haven’t had one in a while though._

Andrew lays his hand open between them for Neil to take. Neil reaches for it and holds it softly in his own. He looks at the 'yes' that was tattooed on Andrews ring finger from earlier that day. He’s got one on his own ring finger that’s in Andrew’s handwriting, Andrew’s 'yes' in Neil’s.

~

_The wedding had been exhausting, but they had made sure to keep the ceremony nice and short. They were just about leaving when Andrew had stopped in his tracks and looked down at his hand._

_“Huh.”_

_“What is it, Drew?” He couldn’t stop smiling, which was new, but he could feel the concern spreading throughout him like a wildfire._

_Andrew held his hand out for Neil to look at. Once Neil had gotten a glimpse of the tattoo, he immediately looked at his own hand._

_“It’s in your handwriting,” Neil says._

_Neil watches as Andrew rolls his eyes and says “junkie” before letting Neil grab his hand as they continue walking._

~

“For the rest of our lives, you better not get sent to a goddamn hospital again,” Andrew says.

“Drew, we both know I’m not gonna make a promise I can’t keep.” Neil smiles, content to simply be there with Andrew.

“Shut up.”

Neil scratches his neck lightly where there’s yet another tattooーso fucking manyーof a flower. It's low on his neck, and he can barely see Andrew's peaking out of his shirt. It was a simple memory, it didn’t mean much to either of them. Just hanging out in a field.

Neil hums and looks up. “Yes or no?” Neil asks, holding his hand up.

“Yes,” Andrew whispers. Neil rests his hand in Andrew’s hair, softly scratching and playing with his hair.

“Your hair is soft.”

Andrew simply stares and watches as Neil relaxes.

Neil could get used to this. Relaxing with Andrew by his side, Mary not breathing down his neck. A place to come home to. He watches as Andrew’s lips quirk in the slightest and doesn’t move his gaze.

_This is something._

**Author's Note:**

> hope u enjoyed guys :D  
> hmu on tumblr @[theravenfoxes!](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/theravenfoxes)


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